Community Environment and Youth Risk-Taking Behavior in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Abstract: This research poster highlights an examination of the relationship between at-risk youth perceptions of their local community environment and their personal engagement in risk behaviors. Over a four-year period a sample of 132 at-risk youth completed two questionnaires. The Youth Involved in Community Issues (YICI) survey was completed with sub-scales measuring four community variables including: support, involvement, connectedness, and environment. The Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) was also completed to measure overall risk behavior as well as the sub-scales of access to illegal substances, frequency of use, social behaviors, and risk behaviors in their neighborhood. Participants self-reported on their own engagement of risk behaviors in their community. Linear regression analysis examined if a predictive relationship existed between any of the risk-taking behaviors and community environment. A statistically significant negative relationship existed between youth perceptions of community environment and the following when the risk-taking behavior was the dependent: access to marijuana (β=-.242), friends use of tobacco (β=-.269), friends use of marijuana (β=-.297); friends use of illegal drugs (β=-.189); pressure to use tobacco (β=-.160); pressure to use alcohol (β=-.152); pressure to use marijuana (β=-.164); pressure to use other drugs (β=-.156); seen marijuana (β=-.243); friends (total score) (β=-.232); pressure (total score) (β=-.158); and frequency (total score) (β=-.195). A statistically significant negative relationship existed between youth perceptions of community environment and the following when the risk-taking behavior was the independent: access to marijuana (β=-.063), friends use of tobacco (β=-.097), friends use of marijuana (β=-.108); friends use of illegal drugs (β=-.082); pressure to use tobacco (β=-.111); pressure to use alcohol (β=-.108); pressure to use marijuana (β=-.111); pressure to use other drugs (β=-.118); seen marijuana (β=-.058); friends (total score) (β=-.105); pressure (total score) (β=-.121); and frequency (total score) (β=-.154). While not causal, these findings support past evidence that when youth perceive their community in a positive way, it is a protector factor for the exposure to risk behaviors that they might experience. Consistent negative relationships existed between the community environment and exposure to risk variables. This leads us to the conclusion that there is an interrelatedness presence in their daily lives that can serve as a means of protecting them from exposure to risk behaviors of others, even their friends.